Newburgh Free Academy’s P-TECH program celebrated 22 students who earned Associate’s Degrees in Cyber Security from SUNY Orange This year. This marks a total of 105 students who earned college degrees since the program’s inception.
All students who earned Associate’s Degrees also simultaneously received their high school diplomas. Fifteen of the students completed both degrees in four years. The Newburgh Enlarged City School District program partners with IBM and SUNY Orange.
Each year, 50 students are accepted into a cohort. They have up to six years to graduate with their Associate’s Degree free of charge through the NFA-PTECH program. Some students choose to begin working or transfer to a four-year college upon high school graduation.
The NFA P-TECH program has a thorough mentorship and paid summer internship program with IBM. Each student is paired with a mentor and mentoring events are hosted periodically throughout the year with a specific focus for each event. Mentors and their students also work independently on various skills throughout their professional relationship. Additionally, IBM offers paid summer internships for students in various fields, allowing students to gain general professional experience as well as skilled experience in specific areas of focus.
Newburgh Free Academy’s P-TECH program is modeled after a similar program in Brooklyn that started in 2011, and was part of the first cohort of grant awardees in New York State. There are now almost 40 P-TECH schools across New York State and over 200 P-TECH schools worldwide.
Beginning on the first day of the program and lasting throughout their four years at Newburgh Free Academy North Campus, students work on professional skills such as communication, collaboration and analytic thinking that have been identified as keys to success in both college and career. All students have mentors from IBM or Global Foundries who develop professional relationships allowing students to ask questions, network, and learn from professionals in the field of technology. Additionally, most students completed paid internships at IBM over the summer throughout the program.
The NFA P-TECH program is led by House Principal Kevin Rothman.
The NFA graduates obtaining their SUNY Orange Associate’s Degrees include Noella Capodieci, Joshua Cardoso, Thomas Coleman, Alondra Cruz-Delgado, Lela Donaldson, Michael Flores, Adrianna Frias, Anthony Giorgianni, Zoe Graves, Brizayna Harvey, Jayden Jackson-Eyo, AhDisa Jenkins, Kevin Leto, Roberto Lopez, Daniel Mendoza, Leonardo Mera, Diego Quispe, Roberto Reade, Aiden Skakel, Aizia Smith, Aiden Stroud, and Nathan Teall.
